Ace Attorney Investigations: Moonlight

Chapter 3

- November 2nd -
- Italy, Florence -
- Julia Kirigiri's POV -

I looked down at my mobile. The funeral of my target three days ago - a man called Stefano Ricci - was taking place. His contact was the one that had killed him as an act of betrayal, yet I was there to see it.

To find out more about his interactions with Moonlight, I had hoped that his wife - Sofia Ricci - knew something, anything about them. She and a few others were the only ones left behind. I awkwardly hung at the back and waited for everyone to leave.

"I don't know how you go to all of these places so quickly, D." Q remarked from my earpiece.

"Well, I'm not the one with a fear of flying." I commented, partially joking. "Didn't you say you were going to work on that?"

"As soon as I have an opportunity. Which is hard, when you have an entire branch to look over." He sighed. I heard a meow from his cats and a giggle nearby. "Kotoko looks like she's missing you already. I know Griffin is supposed to be looking after her, but she keeps coming in here instead. You should've left her with me..."

"I didn't realise you could take care of her." I said, confused. Griffin had always begged to let him do something, so this is what I settled with. "I thought... you were more occupied with the cats."

"I can take care of both-!" Q attempted to convince me. "Look, my place is perfectly safe for a child. And the cats love her."

I refrained from grinning, giving the atmosphere around me. Everyone else had now left, par Mrs. Ricci.

I approached her slowly, aware that she might need some space. "I'm sorry for your loss." I said quietly.

She glanced at me and looked back at the coffin. "Did you know him?" She asked.

"Very briefly, I'm afraid." I removed my sunglasses and tried to make eye contact. "Where's everyone else? They wouldn't leave you alone, would they?"

"They... they know what's about to happen." She gestured towards the two men approaching her from behind. "You'd best get out of here."

"Julia, check your coat pocket-!" Q warned me, realising the situation. I checked my pocket, and there were two small devices, about the size of a penny.

I threw them at the two men immediately. I had known Q's... gadgets for a while now, so it didn't take long for me to work out what to do with them.

The men collapsed as electricity surged through them. Q chuckled as he heard their confused cries.

"Simple stun gadget. You can use them again if you'd like." He told me as I collected them from their unconscious bodies. "I don't know how I managed to sneak that into your jacket... N was in the same room as me."

"There'll be more of them." Mrs. Ricci didn't bother to look behind her. "With my husband gone, I'm a dead woman. Nobody will trust my silence anymore."

"I can get you to safety." I pleaded with her, "If you tell us what we want to know, we'll take down Moonlight before they have the chance to get to you."

"Do you... promise me...?" She took off her sunglasses and looked me in the eye. "I don't know much... they rarely meet..."

"Anything will be helpful to me." I smiled at her in assurance. "I'll have one of my people send someone over right away. By the time we've finished talking, they'll take you someplace safe."

"... My husband needs a replacement." Mrs. Ricci began, "Underneath the Piazza della Signoria. There'll be a man standing nearby with the Moonlight ring on. He'll let you in as long as you have one of your own."

"Thank you..." I glanced at a car nearby, marked as Interpol's. Q must've overheard and sent someone... as I thought. "... The car over there will take you someplace safe. You can trust the driver, don't worry."

As I turned to leave, she grabbed my hand. "Wait... if you get caught... they'll show you no mercy."

"I have no intention of getting caught." I said, partially to also assure Q, who was in no doubt sick with worry.

I bid goodbye to her and headed to the hotel I had been assigned to. It wasn't anything fancy, but it suited my needs.

"You know I still would've paid for the fanciest hotel in town for you..." Q muttered over the earpiece. "... Even Griffin offered to look at hotels for you. Which is odd."

"I'll admit, I trust your judgement better than Griffin's." I chuckled, grabbing clothes from my suitcase. "... Is he looking after Kotoko okay?"

"No... Kotoko refuses to leave my office. I was planning on going home soon, which means I'll have to take the cats with me." He sighed, "Do you want to talk to her about it?"

"If you wouldn't mind... I know I left in a hurry. We barely got a chance to say goodbye." I felt bad about it, but I couldn't say anything. I couldn't waste company time over something like this...

I heard a giggle as Kotoko's voice came on. "Heya, Miss. Kirigiri! Mr. Q's been talking to you aaaaall day! He hasn't got much work done!"

"Have you been telling him off?" I smiled, "He's supposed to be doing work, not looking after the two of us..."

"Oh, I tried. But he kept going on about how much he cares about you~" Kotoko giggled some more. "I've also been looking after his cats. I'm their mommy now! Mr. Q said I was!"

"R-Right... but why is he taking care of you? Wasn't Griffin supposed to?" I hadn't heard from him for a while, despite him telling me that he'll take care of Kotoko.

"I don't know... he wondered off and left me with Mr. Q a while ago, but he hasn't come back." Kotoko said worryingly, "But Mr. Q said that if he doesn't come back, I can help him take care of the cats for the night. He said he had a sofa bed... I've never been in one of those before!"

"You'll call me in the morning, won't you?" I asked her, "Or if there's any problems?"

"Yep! I promise!" She paused for a second, as if being told something. "Oh... Mr. Q is going now, so I'm following him. Good luck on your mission thing, Miss. Kirigiri!"

I thanked her before taking out my earpiece. I had a long night ahead of me, and it was about time that I started to prepare myself for what was about to happen.

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the beginning is mostly Julia's POV bc characters haven't been introduced but I swear it'll change,,,

- hatty